Judy, 61, has been beset with rumours that she has a drinking problem since the time she was on This Morning. As much as they have always been denied, and there has never been a smidgen of evidence, it is a piece of gossip that won’t go away.

Well, the Mail has erased its story from the web, but you can still read it here:

She has been subjected to allegations of alcoholism which she and husband Richard Madeley have always furiously denied. But these pictures of a tipsy-looking Judy Finnigan are certainly not going to do her any favours or convince anyone that she’s not partial to a drink or two.

The 61-year-old had to hold on tight to husband Richard Madeley and their daughter Chloe as they strolled down a street in Hampstead, North London after reportedly getting stuck into the vino at the family outing.

Looking bleary-eyed and slightly confused, she was a far cry from the well-groomed and motherly Judy that graced our TV screens for years.

And the Mail has heard form Richard Madeley, Mr Finnigan, and he says:

“After steak and fries, during which Judy had just a glass and a half of wine, ordered by the glass, we had left for a bookshop opposite when two photographers appeared and took multiple snaps of the three of us crossing the road.

“We walked with linked arms, as families do. Judy has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligaments in both her knees, and, like most people with this condition, appreciates an arm or rail going up or down steps or curbs.

“Crude comments were also written about her eyes. Again, for the record, Judy is recovering from not one, but two, operations in recent weeks on her right eye.”

It’s a “detached retina”, says Richard.

But still, those gossipers will have their way, eh, Daily Mail readers…